TNT Analysts Mocking UCLA Player's Arrest Is Not A Good Look
The arrest of a teenager in a foreign country hardly seems like comic fodder, but that didn’t stop the crew from TNT’s “Inside the NBA” from going there on Thursday, the New York Post reported.
UCLA freshman basketball player LiAngelo Ball and two teammates are confined to a hotel in China after they were accused Tuesday of shoplifting sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store, according to outlets.
Ball’s dad, LaVar, is a controversial figure who courts publicity. His older brother is Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, who so far has drawn attention for his poor shooting.
But that’s no excuse for the endless stream of puns and references to the incident as TNT analysts broke down the highlights of the Lakers-Wizards game in Washington. (The comments start around the 2-minute mark.)
Shaquille O’Neal got the ball rolling by saying of Lonzo, “Think he went shopping in D.C.?”
Then Charles Barkley chimed in: “I’m just sayin’, man, better go to the Sunglass Hut.” After a brief round of chatter, Barkley resumed: “Guarantee they don’t have security at the Sunglass Hut.”
Kenny Smith added, “I will say this, Ernie, about the Lakers, their future’s so bright, they gotta wear shades.”
It didn’t end there, as some of them poked fun at the UCLA players’ enforced stay in a hotel. O’Neal even sang Corey Hart’s “I Wear My Sunglasses At Night.”
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
